Archive for the 'NASCAR WA-AS' Category

HOLLAND, NY… (August 12, 2017) Bob Bogner from Hamburg, NY won the main event for the Advance Auto Parts Hornets on Saturday night at Holland International Speedway. Josh Marchese from Ontario, NY scored the win in the INEX Legends. Ryan Bille won the first main event for the INEX Bandoleros. The M&M U Pull-It Figure 8’s were on the track just before the rains came, ending the night.

With the Getzoni Agency NASCAR Pro Modifieds, Bank of Holland Chargers and the NYPA TQ Midget Jerry Gradl Sr Memorial Mini Indy 50 not being held, rain checks will be honored for the next event, scheduled for Saturday, August 26th. Drivers and pit crews must keep their wristbands to be used for admission. August 26th, will see the NYPA TQ Midgets run the Mini Indy 50 plus a full NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program.

Josh Hill and Adam Killingbeck led the Advance Auto Parts Hornets to the green flag for their feature event with Hill quickly getting into the lead. Adam Killingbeck and Bob Palmer got together exiting turn four on the opening circuit and hit the front stretch wall to bring out the race’s first caution. Josh Hill would lead the field as Bob Bogner raced in second. Jeff Szafraniec raced in third place and both Bogner and Szafraniec caught race leader hill. Bogner would take the lead from Hill with seven laps remaining. Szafraniec took second away from Hill with four laps remaining. The caution would come out with two laps remaining when Marty Hughes hit the wall and lost his right front tire. Bogner would hold off Szafraniec to score the win. Kenny Hejna and Darren Lenhardt competed in the Talking Phone Book Super Six feature as part of Hornet main event. Hejna pulled away from Lenhardt but Hejna went to the pits about the midway point. Lenhardt would score the win for the Super Sixes.

Asphalt era closing with Late Model 100 on September 2; ACT event canceled

WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Devil’s Bowl Speedway is going back to its roots: Full-time dirt track racing will return in 2018. After eight years with an asphalt half-mile, with the last four years running with both asphalt and dirt layouts, the Rutland County facility will have an all-new half-mile dirt surface for its 52nd season.

The changeover marks the third period in the speedway’s history that dirt racing will be held on a half-mile surface; the track was similar in its first four seasons from 1967 to 1970 and again from 1975 through 2009. Asphalt racing has been held on the half-mile oval twice, from 1971 through 1974, and most recently from 2010 to the present. A 3/10-mile dirt track was built in the infield of the half-mile in 2014 and has operated simultaneously with the asphalt track since then.

The asphalt surface will remain intact as a solid base. A fresh new layer of natural Champlain Valley clay, which will be excavated from the speedway property in West Haven, will be laid down over the asphalt beginning in early September. About half of the width of the current infield dirt track will be also used, creating a racing surface approximately 75-80 feet wide with progressive banking in the corners. Should time and weather permit, an open test session will be held on the new surface in the fall.

In addition to the surface change, initial plans also call for an infield pit road to be constructed for use in long-distance races, and early preparation is underway to raise the height of the grandstand bleacher seating in order to provide a better viewing experience for race fans. Racing at Devil’s Bowl Speedway will continue under sanctioning from the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series for the eighth consecutive year in 2018.

WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Devil’s Bowl Speedway has canceled its Asphalt Track racing program on Saturday, August 5, due to rain and saturated grounds. The event was scheduled to be the sixth annual “C.J. Richards Memorial” sponsored by Carrara Masonry & Concrete for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, along with an Enduro Series race.

The C.J. Richards Memorial race for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Sportsman Modifieds has been rescheduled for Saturday, August 19, as part of the Rutland Regional Medical Center’s annual “Hometown Heroes” Night. The Enduro Series race has also been added to the program.

Racing at the Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl Speedway is still on as scheduled for Sunday, August 6, with double features for the Sportsman Modified, Super Stock, Mini Stock, and Catamount Mini Sprint divisions presented by Liberty Street Discount Beverage & Deli. General admission is $12.00 for adults, $10.00 for seniors (62+), $5.00 for teenagers (13-17), and free for kids age 12 and under. Gates open at 5:00 p.m., and racing begins at 6:00 p.m.

HOLLAND, NY… (August 5, 2017) Management of Holland International Speedway was forced to pull the plug on the George Decker Memorial event scheduled for Saturday, August 5th due to wet grounds and wet weather.

The 18th running of the George Decker Memorial has been rescheduled for Saturday, September 2nd. That date will also include the inaugural running of the Butch Palmer Memorial 32 for the Hornets.

Holland’s historic 58th season continues on Saturday, August 12th on Coca Cola Family Night and ECMC Appreciation Night. A full NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program (Pro Modifieds, Chargers, NYPA TQ Midgets, Hornets, Legends, and Bandoleros) will be presented. The NYPA TQ Midgets will be the headliners as they will be running in the Jerry Gradl Sr Memorial Mini Indy 50. Qualifying will start at 6:00 pm with NASCAR feature racing starting promptly at 7:05 pm.

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Speedway was back in action on Friday, August 4th with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on hand for the 27th Annual Stafford 150. Taking down NASCAR Whelen All-American Series weekly feature wins on the night were Stephen Kopcik, who scored his very first career SK Modified® feature victory, Michael Bennett in the Late Model feature, Dan Wesson in the SK Light feature, Al Saunders in the Limited Late Model feature, and Zack Robinson took the checkered flag first in the DARE Stock feature but he was found to have an illegal timing chain in his engine and he was disqualified from the feature, making Johnny Walker the winner.

In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Tom Abele, Jr. took the early lead with Stephen Kopcik, Glen Reen, Dan Avery, and Michael Gervais, Jr. behind him. The caution came out with 2 laps complete for a spin in turn 2 by Tyler Hines.

Abele took the lead back under green with Kopcik behind him in second. Kopcik took the lead from Abele on lap-5 and his move brought Gervais alongside Abele. Gervais got clear of Abele on lap-7 and now Cam McDermott was side by side with Abele for third with Ronnie Williams fifth and Avery in sixth.

Tremont, of West Sand Lake, N.Y., started 12th in the 35-lap feature race for the Central Vermont Motorcycles division and quickly moved forward on the smooth, dry-slick track. Hard-luck driver Jimmy Ryan took command at lap 4 after polesitter Tomas Kimball spun out, and ran the best race of his season, but was no match for Tremont and gave way at lap 22.

Tremont blistered the pack over the final 13 circuits to wrap up his second consecutive win at Devil’s Bowl and third on the season. Ryan held on for a season-best runner-up finish, turning his campaign around in fine shape. Tim LaDuc bounced through two crashes but drove a fast car to the front and ended the race in third place. Justin Comes rode the outside lane to fourth place, and Randy Howe completed the top five.

WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Dylan Rabtoy is keeping things interesting at The Asphalt Track at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. The young stock car driver won his second NASCAR Whelen All-American Series race of the season on Community College of Vermont Night on Saturday, July 29, and further tightened an already-close battle for the championship. Also in the winner’s circle during the night were Jarrod Soucy, Cam Gadue, and Stephanie Roberts.

Rabtoy’s triumph came in the 30-lap feature race for the Rosen & Berger Auto Recyclers Super Stock division. The 18-year-old Swanton, Vt., native started in third place and ran in second for most of the event, trailing leader R.J. Germain. As nearly every car in the field bounced off another, Rabtoy reeled in Germain and point leader and defending champion Jim McKiernan caught them both. Rabtoy stole the lead from Germain with 10 circuits remaining, but McKiernan dogged him the whole way home.

After a long green-flag run, caution periods on laps 26 and 27 gave McKiernan two chances to wrestle the lead away, and he certainly made an exciting effort at it. Rabtoy anticipated McKiernan’s moves, though, and held him off in an electric run to the checkered flag for his second win of the season.

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Speedway returned to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing action with Five-Star Series program on Friday, July 28th with the Senior Champs from the Monday Night Wild Thing Kart Series joining Stafford’s five NWAAS divisions in action. Taking down feature wins on the night were Chase Dowling for a division leading fourth time this season in the SK Modified® feature, Tyler Leary was a first time career winner in the Late Model feature, Marcello Rufrano in the SK Light feature, Robert Bloxsom, III in the Limited Late Model feature, Trace Beyer in the DARE Stock feature, and Nick Hadden was the winner of the special Wild Thing Karts Senior Champs feature.

In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Stephen Kopcik took the lead at the green but the field could only complete one lap before the caution came out for spins on the frontstretch by Brendon Bock and Tommy Membrino, Jr. with Austin Pickens and Eric Berndt also involved.

Kopcik again took the lead back under green but not before Michael Gervias, Jr. nearly made it 3-wide with Kopcik and Cam McDermott. Tom Abele, Jr. was fourth and Tyler Hines was fifth with Ronnie Williams and Matt Galko side by side for sixth.

After an early-evening rain delay and late night of racing forced postponement of a pair of feature events the week before, Lee USA Speedway racers were once again facing a more than full night of racing on Friday, with both the Rodfather Supermodifieds and the R & R “The Tool Store and More“ Late Model Sportsmen running double features.

In addition, the annual El Camino Night saw a strong contingent of all vintages and colors of beautiful street machinery tour the Lee oval, followed by the annual Autograph Night, where hundreds of fans flooded the speedway to visit their favorite drivers for an up close look at the men, women, and racecars that put on the weekly show for them.

In Supermodified action, the biggest field of the year was on hand to participate, but none of them came up bigger than defending champion Dave “Hollywood” Helliwell of Salem, who scored his second win of the season in the held-over feature event aboard the multi-time championship winning Witkum Brothers Racing entry.

Brendon Bock charged from 18th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Saturday to recorded his first top five of the season. Bock was mad because qualifying was canceled. His car was first and third in the two scuff sessions run prior to the Eastern Propane and Oil 100.

Bock was battling a loose car in the center and off the corners. Changes at halfway made the car better and allowed the Franklin Square, NY driver to return to the top five.

Bock was following the battle for the lead in the closing laps. Contact between Doug Coby and Ryan Newman brought out the caution with two laps remaining.

Stafford Springs, CT — For Stafford Springs native Wesley Prucker, getting to Stafford Speedway’s NAPA Victory Lane has been a long-time coming. After 5 seasons behind the wheel of his #22 Accu-Rite Tools & Mgf. SK Light Modified, Prucker and the #22 team struck gold, winning their first race at Stafford. Prucker, who has had a strong start to the 2017 season by leading the highly competitive SK Light Modified point standings for multiple weeks, was ecstatic to finally get to NAPA Victory Lane.

“This is my fifth season in the SK Lights and we finally got our car down thanks to Ed Bagot,” explained Prucker. “He knows more than I could ever imagine about modifieds. Before, it was just me and my dad, we could win a heat race, but couldn’t come close to winning a feature. Winning a race, it’s by far the happiest I’ve ever been. My sister even said to me after she saw pictures of me online that I never smile that big, even when we went to DisneyWorld. I’m finally on the winners list at Stafford. I’ve been coming here basically since I was born, watching Eric Berndt from the stands. I actually have a picture in victory lane with him when I was about 2 years old and now I have a picture of myself in victory lane.”

Prucker has been racing since the ripe age of 5 and he has had success in other forms of racing as a youngster, notching countless wins behind the wheel of a quarter midget. After making the jump to SK Light modifieds for the 2013 season, the two-man operation of Wesley and his father Geoff were excited for the new challenge yet still expected the success they had found in the quarter midget ranks to continue.

(Stafford Springs, CT)—Friday, July 7th will be a night that R.J. Surdell and his family run #87 Limited Late Model team will remember for the rest of their lives. Surdell led wire to wire to grab his first career Limited Late Model win and first career win at Stafford after holding off late race charges from Bryan Narducci and defending Limited Late Model champion Duane Provost.

“Through all the hardships we’ve gone through the last couple of years at the track, to finally get a win at Stafford, it was a check off of the bucket list,” explained Surdell. “Not everyone can say they’ve won a race at Stafford, it was incredible and awesome to get to victory lane. We’ve had a rough start to this year with 3 DNF’s in the first 6 races, so it was rough and we were down a little, but this win gives the team and my family a whole lot of confidence. Now my son can stop making fun of me because he’s won more trophies than I have.”

Though Surdell did not begin his Stafford Speedway racing career until the 2014 season, R.J. has been a regular in the Stafford Speedway paddock since the 2003 season as a crew member on multiple teams. After crewing for over 10 years, Surdell caught the racing bug and decided it was time to go racing.

Stafford Springs, CT — This Friday, July 14th, NAPA Auto Parts and Stafford Motor Speedway will present the 4th Annual Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund Track Walk. This is an opportunity for all fans in attendance to get on track and check out the famous half-mile layout at Stafford Speedway by participating in the Track Walk. In addition to the track walk, fireworks will light up the sky at the conclusion of the feature events.

Each person donating $10 for the Track Walk will also receive a NAPA tee-shirt or hat and NAPA goodie bag. Participants can access the track through the gate which is located behind Section A of the main grandstand. The track walk will begin at the conclusion of qualifying heats and prior to the start of feature racing this Friday night. Lace up your walking shoes for some foot power before horsepower takes over this Friday.

NAPA will also have several raffle prizes as part of the Track Walk festivities. All proceeds will be donated to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund in support of military personnel wounded or injured in service to our nation. Last year’s Track Walk raised over $8,000 for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

BECHTELSVILLE, PA JULY 12, 2017 . . . After nine Saturday nights of T.P.Trailers NASCAR 358 Modified stock car racing at Grandview Speedway there have been no repeat winners. In fact two of the top three in the Modified point standings have yet to win a feature. Jeff Strunk, a ten time champion, goes into the Saturday racing program leading Craig VonDohren by just four points and VonDohren is without a feature win. Duane Howard is a close third in the points but also without a Saturday night feature win. Only Strunk has a win. To say competition has been tough for the Modified racers at Grandview would be putting it mildly.

Saturday night the A.D.Moyer Lumber sponsored night of racing will include two NASCAR 358 Modified feature races. The first feature having been left from a partially rained out show a few weeks back and then there will be the regular Saturday feature. Two great opportunities for new names to be added to the list of nine different winners or perhaps the opportunity for a repeat winner or two.

For those keeping tab of these figures, there have been nine Modified features run along with nine features for the Late Models and ten for the Sportsman.

WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Devil’s Bowl Speedway has announced three penalties in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Rosen & Berger Auto Recyclers Super Stock division, following the 20-lap feature race held on its 1/2-mile Asphalt Track on Saturday, July 8. In addition, a change in the racing schedule for the Super Stock division on the 3/10-mile Dirt Track has also been made.

Technical inspectors examined the suspension systems on the cars of the top five drivers in the Asphalt Track point standings – Dylan Rabtoy, Eric Messier, Jim McKiernan, Scott FitzGerald, and Brett Wood – following the race. McKiernan was the race winner with Rabtoy second, Messier third, FitzGerald fourth, and Wood seventh.

Ryan Preece has been on a roll since getting married on May 13. He has 3 wins at Riverhead (Modified Touring Series), Riverhead (NASCAR Whelen All-American Series), and Thompson (NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) with a 3.4 average finish in 13 starts.

“We’ve been pretty good,” Preece said. “I think consistency is really just the key to running well. Everything’s just kind of been going my way. I’ve definitely been lucky at the same time but I feel like every time we show up to the racetrack I’m really happy with the car and not really changing too much so that’s always a good sign.”

The former NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion has 2 wins and 4 top fives in 5 starts. His bid for a second title will include making up points from missing the Langley race. A discussion with team owners Eddie and Connie Partridge about his future set the foundation for Preece working on racecars.

Strunk Has 4 Point Edge Over Vondohren in Modified Championship Chase, Schutz On Top in Late Models and Brian Hirthler Leads Sportsman Standings at Grandview

22 Different Feature Winners Amongst 116 Different Racers in 2017

BECHTELSVILLE, PA JULY 9, 2017 . . . Shooting for an 11th NASCAR TP Trailers 358 Modified championship at Grandview Speedway, Boyertown, PA’s Jeff Strunk sits on top of the point standings with just a 4 point edge over Craig VonDohren. Strunk has 2464 tallies and one feature win while VonDohren, a nine-time champion, has 2460 counters and no win. Duane Howard, a multi-time champion, is third with 2325 points and no wins while Mike Gular now sits fourth with 2232 points and earned his first feature win this past Saturday.

Many time BRC Late Model champion and current point leader Chuck Schutz of Pottstown, Pa. sits atop of the standings with 2365 points. He has been to victory lane twice this season including winning the prestigious Firecracker 40 this past Saturday, Just 41 tallies behind is Ron Kline who has been to victory lane 4 times so far this season.

Chuck Schutz Takes Home More Than $2000 as Winner of Firecracker 40 Late Model Race at Grandview, Whitmoyer Gets Second Win of the Season with NASCAR Sportsman, Mike Gular Gets First 2017 TP Trailers 358 Modified Win and Brad Grim Comes Home First in Second Sportsman Feature. Brett Peters Wins Vintage Feature

BECHTELSVILLE, PA. July 9, 2017, Fans that attended the racing action on Saturday night at Grandview Speedway certainly got their money’s worth. All feature events had side-by-side, three to four wide action throughout their respective shows that produced two repeat winners, two season first winners that included a first career win.

The highlight of the night was the Firecracker 40-lap BRC NASCAR Late Model feature that was won by defending point champion and current point leader Chuck Schutz for a payday worth in excess $2,000. Schutz, who last won the event in 2010, dedicated the win to long-time supporter Carl Knauer who passed away. It was a long race commented Schutz in victory lane and he’s glad he could conserve his tires and that they held up in the battles with runner-up Ron Kline, who last won the race in 2011.

The 30-lap T.P. Trailers 358 NASCAR Modified feature wasn’t decided until the drop of the checkered. Brett Kressley appeared to be on his way to another win, but coming in for the checkered he had to go high to get around lapped traffic. It was all Mike Gular, who has been knocking on the door of victory lane for several weeks, needed. Gular took advantage of the situation and dove underneath Kressley and it was a drag race to the finish line, but Gular parked the Rich Stankewicz-owned No. 2 in victory lane for the first time this year ending a six-year winless drought.Continue reading ‘Schutz Wins Firecracker 40 During Jam Packed Night of Racing at Grandview’

Despite a few rain delays over the course of the day, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Division’s return to Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park could not be dampened by Mother Nature as the division made it’s first appearance at the Big-T since 2009 in style. The brightest future stars of NASCAR took to the historic track for the first annual Busch North Throwback 100 on Saturday, July 8 with several drivers sporting paint schemes honoring the best of the best of the series’ past as they honoring the history of motorsports in New England.

The field consisted of numerous series regulars and a few drivers familiar with Thompson Speedway looking to make their own mark by using their experience on the historic oval to their advantage. The day started with a new track record as Chase Purdy topped Martin Truex, Jr’s previous record of 20.200 with a lap time of 20.197 in group qualifying, nabbing Purdy his third consecutive pole. Purdy would lead the first few laps of the night’s main event, but eventually found himself under attack by Todd Gilliland, son of NASCAR driver David Gilliland, who started on the outside pole and had a dominant car for much of the event.

Despite Gilliland’s dominance however, the last 25 laps saw another generational driver rise to the top and find his way to victory lane. Harrison Burton, son of NASCAR staple Jeff Burton, was able to wrestle the lead away in the final quarter of the event after racing side-by-side with Gilliland for nearly five laps before finally completing a pass and never looking back. The win was Burton’s fourth of the season, and fourth in the last six races, building on his points lead as he continues to make his mark on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Division.

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Speedway returned to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing action with the 3rd Annual NAPA Auto Parts SK 5k, which paid the winner $5,000 out of a purse of over $27,000. With the Dunleavy’s Truck and Trailer Sales Gambler’s Challenge bonus of $5,300 and a total heat race bonus of $2,000 from Wheelers Auto of Hamden, the total posted awards were over $34,000. The Gambler’s Challenge was voted on by the fans on how it would be paid out and the top-3 choices were put into a hat in victory lane with Doug Dunleavy pulling a chip with the winning formula on it. Dunleavy pulled the split among the 6th through 10th place finishers chip, giving Dowling a total payday of $5,325 in purse and contingencies. In other feature action, Michael Bennett won the Late Model feature, Wesley Prucker was a first-time winner in the SK Light feature, R.J. Surdell was a first-time winner in the Limited Late Model division, and Vince Gambacorta won the DARE Stock feature for his first Stafford victory since the 2006 NAPA Fall Final.

In the 100-lap NAPA SK 5k feature event, Michael Gervais, Jr. took the lead at the green with Cam McDermott, Glen Reen, Dylan Izzo, and Keith Rocco making up the top-5. Mike Christopher, Jr, was sixth followed by Todd Owen, Dan Avery, Tom Abele, Jr., and Rowan Pennink.

THOMPSON, CT – Current Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park Late Model Division Championship Leader, Ray Parent, has announced his intentions to enter Saturday’s Busch North Throwback 100, in the No. 32 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East car. Parent has already driven the No. 98 Course Legend Late Model to two wins during the 2017 season, and is looking forward to making his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series start in the No. 32 Anytime Realty Chevrolet.

“I am extremely excited about this opportunity,” the Tiverton driver exclaimed. “It’s something I’ve always dreamed about doing, and now it’s turning into a reality. I was so excited to be able to run Thompson full time in the Late Model, and now to have this opportunity is awesome. I can’t begin to thank Don Parsons, DPR Racing, and Anytime Realty enough for bringing me on board this season.”

Parent teamed up with Parsons midway through last season at Seekonk Speedway, and decided to make a run at a Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park Championship over the winter. This, though, is only the beginning of the plans that the two parties have made for each other.

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway’s premier SK Modified® division will take part in the biggest race of the 2017 season, the NAPA Auto Parts SK 5k, this Friday night, July 7th. Below is a look at the 4th annual NAPA Auto Parts SK 5k by the numbers as well as a statistical look at the top-10 in the SK Modified® points standings and how they have fared in the extra distance classic.

1 – Ted Christopher is the only driver to record a top-5 finish in each of the first three editions of the NAPA SK 5k.

2 – Ted Christopher and Keith Rocco are the only drivers to have recorded a top-10 finish in each of the first three editions of the NAPA SK 5k.

2.7 – NAPA SK 5k Average finish of Ted Christopher, best in the three year history of the NAPA SK 5k

Stafford Springs, CT — After taking two-years off from full-time SK Modified® competition to compete on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Chase Dowling, SK Light graduate and 2015 NWMT Rookie of the Year, has returned to Stafford with vengeance. Dowling has joined forces with Adam Skowyra and the #50 SK Modified® team and has scored 2 wins, 4 top 5’s, and 5 top 10’s in 6 races.

“Coming into the #50 car for the Skowyra family, I knew I had big boots to fill with Woody [Pitkat] being in the car the last few years,” explained Dowling. “I knew we could win, when we tested for the first time, we all got along and bonded really well. Everything we’ve been doing so far is what we expected when this deal came together. We just have to keep on doing what we’ve been doing. It’s the effort at the shop that makes the racing at Stafford on Friday night the fun part.”

Dowling and the S&S Asphalt Paving #50 team came out of the gate strong winning the 40-lap SK Modified® feature at the NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler and backing that up with another win 3 weeks later. The Roxbury, CT native is no stranger to victory lane with 10 Stafford Speedway victories to his name including 7 in the SK Light division.

Stafford Springs, CT — After a two and a half year stint behind the wheel of a Legends Car, Westbrook, CT native Cassandra Cole is making the jump to full-size competition in Stafford’s SK Light Modified Division. Cole was set to make her Stafford Speedway debut last Friday before rain brought the event to a halt. Cassandra and the #09 SK Light team will run their first feature event this Friday as the SK Lights run their weekly 20-lap feature as part of the NAPA Auto Parts SK 5K event program.

“Over the winter we were kind of on the fence if we should stay with the Legend Car or move up to SK Lights,” explained Cole. “We ended up picking the Legend Car and we decided to try and be really competitive for one more year. With Waterford not opening, we really had nowhere to run so at the last minute we decided to sell the Legend Car and get an SK Light.”

The 19-year old Cole joins a long list of graduates from the Legends car ranks to make the move to the SK Light Modified division including SK Modified® drivers Chase Dowling & Stephen Kopcik along with 2016 SK Light Rookie of the year Joe Graf Jr. Additionally, the most dominant driver and car of the season thus far with 3 wins, Cory DiMatteo, was also a Legend car veteran before making the jump to the SK Lights. Cole’s experience behind the wheel has her excited for the new opportunity in the SK Light division.

THOMPSON, CT – With four races remaining at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, point battles across each of the four NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Divisions are starting to take shape. Tensions will surely start to rise and strategies will start to be formed, heading into the next event, the Inaugural Busch North Throwback 100, on Saturday, July 8.

The Sunoco Modified Division point battle is currently closest. 2010 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Champion, Keith Rocco, trails former NASCAR Xfinity Series Driver, Ryan Preece, by only two points. With only four races remaining, and over 20 entrants expected at each of those events, the margin for error is small. Rocco knows this, but has more than ample faith in his team. It’s halfway through the season and his confidence refuses to falter. “Don’t worry about the points,” he said calmly, “You got to race to win, and the rest comes with it.“

Scott Sundeen finds himself in a familiar position in the Limited Sportsman Division – atop the leaderboard. The four-time Champion has never been worried about the points, only the results. “Right now, I’m not worried about the points” he said, “Anything can happen and I’m there to win”. With no previous intentions of racing for a full season, driver of the No.55, Shawn Monahan, now finds himself in second place, only four l[‘=;p[]\markers behind Sundeen. Monahan has a lot of trophies on his mantle, but none for a Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park Championship. “I’ve given away a lot of championships in my past” he explained, “but that was due to immaturity.” The Waterford, CT-native is focused on earning his first title, a story which he hopes to be able to tell his son one day. “The best thing thing is to talk to your children about it later” he said, envisioning an older version of himself in the grandstands with his family.Continue reading ‘Thompson Point Battles Taking Shape Heading into Busch North Throwback’

WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Devil’s Bowl Speedway has pushed its “Coca-Cola Firecracker” Dirt Track racing program and Vermont’s biggest fireworks display back by one day due to saturated grounds. The event has been moved from Sunday, July 2, to Monday, July 3, with a new starting time of 7:00 p.m.

Heavy rains on Saturday caused major flooding in the region and left parts of the Devil’s Bowl facility – including Turn 2 of the Dirt Track – under as much as four feet of water. The water has drained sufficiently, but the track was left in no condition for racing. Speedway crews began work just before 12:00 noon on Sunday to aerate the entire clay surface and are confident that the track will be in good shape for racing on Monday night.

Monday night’s event will include the weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Sportsman Modifieds, Super Stocks, and Mini Stocks, along with the wild-and-crazy Enduro Series and a massive fireworks display. The annual Thomas Dairy Kids Bicycle Giveaway will also be on the card at intermission.

Stafford Springs, CT — The biggest paying SK Modified® race in the country, the NAPA Auto Parts SK 5K, continues to grow. John Rufrano of Wheelers Automotive has signed on to add bonus money to the top-4 finishers in each of the qualifying races for the Friday, July 7th event. A total of $2,000 will be up for grabs as a qualifying race bonus. Spread across four heat races the top-4 finishers will receive a bonus, 1st – $200, 2nd – $125, 3rd – $100, and 4th $75.

“It’s an awesome event that a lot of people are looking forward to,” explained John Rufrano referring to the 4th annual NAPA Auto Parts SK 5K. “With 100 laps and the extra money that’s on the line, it’s exciting for the fans and the drivers. I like putting the money out for the heat races. There’s a lot of guys who don’t make it into the top-3 or top-4 in the feature and they don’t get into the big money, but if they can get a top-3 in the heat, they’ll have some extra money to go home with.”

Rufrano, car owner of current SK Modified point leader and 2010 NASCAR Division 1 National Champion, “The Kid” Keith Rocco, returns for his 3rd season posting qualifying race bonus money for the NAPA Auto Parts SK 5K. For the 2017 season, Rufrano has increased the bonus from $1,500 to $2,000 spread across 4 heat races.

Stafford Springs, CT — For Stafford Speedway SK Modified® driver Ronnie Williams, the 2017 season has been the best start to a season since he started his young career at the half-mile. The Ellington native has scored top-5 finishes in each of the first 5 races of the 2017 season and recorded his first victory of the season last Friday night. The positive momentum Williams and his #49 Advice One sponsored team have built up thus far has Williams excited about his prospects for the upcoming $5,000 to win NAPA SK 5k at Stafford on July 7.

“Our confidence is pretty high right now,” said Williams. “I know we’re due to have some off tire weeks soon and that’s the only thing that we’re concerned about. We know we probably won’t win races with old tires on the car, but at the same time we have to go out there and stay consistent and keep on getting top-5 finishes, which we’ve been doing. Having confidence that we have a fast car is also huge and if we can stay out of trouble, we can be there at the end of races. The NAPA SK 5k is always a fun race and it’s the biggest race of the season for us. We’ve always seemed to do pretty well in that race. We go to the track every week wanting to win and I think we have a good chance at putting our #49 back in victory lane in the 5k race.”

A win in the NAPA SK 5k would be something of a redemption for Williams. In 2015, he was leading the race in the late stages but spun out after contact from another car. Williams was able to recover to finish third in that race and he notched another top-5 finish with a 4th place effort in last season’s edition of the NAPA SK 5k.

Stafford Springs, CT — Due to the impending rain forecasted for this afternoon and evening, tonight’s scheduled NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Weekly Racing event has been canceled. The exhibition race for the Junior Outlaw division scheduled for this evening has been rescheduled for July 14th.

Racing at Stafford Speedway is back next Friday night with the return of the ISMA SuperModifieds. The ISMA Supers will join Stafford’s five NASCAR five NASCAR Whelen All-American Series weekly divisions next Friday night with qualifying beginning at 6:30 pm. Tickets for this event are on sale now and are priced at $30.00 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved seat tickets are $32.00 for all ages. All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax. Stafford Motor Speedway offers plenty of free parking along with overnight parking available for self-contained Recreational Vehicles.